Max
“I’M SORRY, what did you just say?” I just about choke on the air I’m breathing.
“You heard me, Max.” Mr Carson strokes his tie before leaning back in his chair and resting his folded hands on his big belly, as if he hadn’t just delivered the most shocking news.
I glance at my two brothers who look as confused as me.
Mr Carson sighs and leans forward again, shuffling through papers on his mahogany desk.
“Your uncle’s will is very clear. Beneficiaries—” he looks up at the three of us sitting in front of him, “that would be you boys—will only inherit money, assets, and shares from your uncle’s estate if you meet certain criteria set by your uncle.”
“Oh, I heard that part. It’s the condition that I’m having some trouble with. Let me get this straight—Uncle Reggie created a bucket list that I have one year to complete, and I have to do every item on the list with Maya Sinclair?”
“That’s right.”
“But that’s…it’s just bizarre. What kind of condition is that? A bucket list?”
Mr Carson laughs and his whole belly wobbles like it’s made of jello.
Just then my phone pings with a message that makes me smile.
Are you done yet? Are you a billionaire now?
Not yet. It’s complicated.
Ah. So many millions to sort through. I’ll let you get back to it. Message me when you’re done.
My smile broadens at Maya’s response.
If anybody needs to sort through their millions, it’s her. She grew up in the mansion next door to Uncle Reggie. We’ve been joined at the hips since we were kids. Maya has access to a large family trust that means she wouldn’t need to work a day in her life if she didn’t want to.
“You got off easy my boy.” Mr Carson’s voice draws me back to the business at hand. “Just wait until you hear the conditions attached to your brothers’ inheritance.”
At that proclamation, Ethan and James sit bolt upright.
“Ethan, you must renovate the Cape Cod beach house with Marley Davis—”
“Nope. No. No way!” Ethan splutters. “She may be an excellent interior designer, but she knows how to hold a grudge. She still hasn’t forgiven me for…well, let’s just say things didn’t end on a good note there.”
Mr Carson smiles broadly. “Oh yes. Reggie told me all about what happened between you and Miss Davis. Nevertheless…”
This doesn’t surprise me in the least. Those two gossiped like little old ladies.
“But she’s going to kill me before the project is done. That is if she even agrees to it in the first place. She’ll probably skin me alive with that box cutter she loves so much.”
“Oh, she will agree. Trust me. Your uncle has made it a very lucrative opportunity for her that she would be a fool to turn down…no matter how much she hates you,” he adds with a raised brow.
“Why can’t I do the fun bucket list with Maya, and Max can renovate the beach house?”
“These are the conditions, Ethan. You’ll have a year to get it done.”
“Great. Just great!” Ethan rolls his eyes, clearly unimpressed at our eccentric uncle’s shenanigans.
Mr Carson finally turns his attention to our eldest brother, James.
“As for you James, you have two months in which to get married, and you need to stay married for at least one year.”
Our mouths all drop open simultaneously. It’s a good thing we’re sitting down because you could knock all three of us over with a feather right now.
“Married? As in…married? Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack, boy.”
Considering that’s how Uncle Reggie died, the comment might seem in bad taste, but the truth is, he would have found Mr Carson’s dark retort hilarious. I think a shared morbid sense of humor was why he was best friends with the family lawyer.
James looks like he’s about to blow a gasket. Knowing what a player James is, I can’t help but see the funny side. I know Ethan is thinking the same thing because I can see him clamping down on his lips, trying not to laugh.
“I refuse.” James folds his arm. Even though he’s the eldest brother, he was always the most defiant one.
Mr Carson just sighs at James’s petulant display.
“Nobody’s forcing you to do anything, James. If you don’t meet these conditions, or specifically choose not to, your shares in the company will be given to The Hope Trust, and your five-million-dollar bequest will be distributed evenly among five charities of your uncle’s choice.”
“Surely this is not legal? How do we know Uncle Reggie was even in his right mind? When did he come up with this crazy plan anyway? Clearly, he had lost his marbles. I think we should contest the will.”
“You know as well as I do that your uncle was as fit as a fiddle right up until he had the heart attack. Eccentric yes, but not crazy. Before you boys make up your mind, you need to watch this.”
Mr Carson points the remote control on his desk at a television mounted on the wall to our left and it flickers to life.
Uncle Reggie’s cheerful but weathered face fills the screen. The date in the corner shows it was recorded six months ago. He’s sitting at the desk in his library, surrounded by books and antiques. He twirls his white mustache, looking very much like the Monopoly man, minus the top hat.
“Greetings, boys. My heart scare last week has made me think about a great many things, one of them being my will. If you’re watching this, it means I’ve kicked the bucket. By now, Mr Carson would have been through the conditions attached to each bequest. I’m sure Max is shocked into silence, Ethan is already thinking up ways to weasel out of dealing with Marley, and James is probably ready to contest the will on account of insanity.”
The fact that Uncle Reggie knows us so well makes me smile a little. Although, it shouldn’t be surprising considering he raised us after our parents died.
“I can assure you James, I’m in my right mind.” He laughs a little before looking directly at the camera and scowling. “And I’m very serious.”
He picks up a piece of paper from the desk in front of him and waves it around. “Max, my lad, you’ve got the pleasure of ticking off items on this bucket list with your dearest friend, Maya. Oh, the adventures you two will have! Skydiving, salsa dancing, a whitewater rafting adventure, and even a bit of karaoke. Make sure you capture it all on film, won’t you?”
I don’t know why he’d want me to do that when he’s not around to even watch it, but I’m not about to disappoint him. Even if he is dead. Although that list is the last thing an introvert like me wants to do, I’m just feeling grateful that I seem to have gotten off easy compared to James.
“Ethan, my boy, as you would have heard by now, I’ve got a renovation project for you. The beach house holds a special place in my heart. We’ve made so many happy memories there. It feels like just yesterday you boys were making sandcastles on the beach. The beach house is getting a bit weathered, and I want it to be the place where the next generation of Fitzgeralds create happy memories. Marley is the best person for the job, and you know it. I’m hoping that working together will give you two the chance to finally bury the hatchet.”
“Unlikely,” Ethan mumbles.
“Now, James. My dear James, you’re thirty-two and still behaving as if you’re twenty-two. I know you probably think this is a very unfair condition compared to your brothers’, and perhaps it is, but it’s time for you to settle down. Get yourself hitched within two months, and stay married for an entire year. A bit of matrimonial bliss will do you the world of good. Not sure how many women will be able to put up with you for that long, but I’m sure you’ll think of someone delightful to call your wife.”
Uncle Reggie just smiles as if he knows a secret and James scowls at the screen.
“Now, I know you boys are wondering, ‘Why, Uncle Reggie? Why these conditions?’ Well, my dear nephews, I may be a little eccentric, but there’s a method to my madness.” He taps the side of his head with his index finger. “I promise. When the year is up, Mr Carson will hand each of you a letter from me, safely stored in his capable hands. Until then, enjoy the chaos, the laughter, and perhaps a few tears. Life’s a grand adventure boys, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Best of luck, lads! And remember, Uncle Reggie is watching from the great beyond.”
He chuckles at his own joke just before the recorded message cuts.
James shakes his head. “Yeah, I’m sure the crazy old coot will be watching from above…probably laughing uproariously at the chaos he’s orchestrated.”
Dad’s widowed, childless older brother had more money than he knew what to do with and was always very eccentric. When our parents died and we moved in, he made sure we had the best of everything, but also made life fun.
“He always did love a good prank.”
In spite of James’s frustration, he smiles at the memory of the many pranks Uncle Reggie played on us.
“Any questions, gentlemen?”
“I’m sure there will be after we’re over the shock,” Ethan replies.
“Would you mind sending me a copy of the video?”
Even though Maya’s known Uncle Reggie since she was a baby, she won’t believe her ears when I tell her.
“Sure, Max. I’ll get my assistant to email it today. I’ll get her to send a copy to each of you, along with a copy of the will and conditions.”
After shaking his hand, the three of us file out of Mr Carson’s office and head to the parking area.
“How did you get so lucky, Max? You get to have all the fun...and you get to do it with the woman you love. It’s totally unfair.” Ethan punches my arm playfully.
I’m so used to my brothers ribbing me about being in love with my best friend that I no longer rise to the bait. Instead, I deflect.
“Come on. You’re secretly looking forward to seeing Marley again. Admit it.”
Ethan’s smile drops.
“I’d rather be tossed into a pit full of snakes.”
He’s totally lying. Although he definitely doesn’t deserve her forgiveness, I know that he’s never gotten over Marley. Not even close. No matter what he says.
“So, who are you planning to make Mrs James Fitzgerald?” Ethan is obviously adopting my deflection tactics.
James just grunts in response before getting into his car and high tailing it out of the parking lot so fast that his tires squeal in protest.
“Fifty bucks says he’ll ask Sophie.”
I shake my head. “No way I’m taking that bet. Of course he’ll ask Sophie. She knows him better than anybody.”
“She definitely knows him better than anybody, so how about fifty bucks says she’ll refuse? She’s worked for him for five years. She’s seen the revolving door of women. She knows what a pain in the ass he can be. There’s no way somebody as level-headed as Sophie is saying yes to a marriage of convenience.”
“Now that’s a bet I’m willing to shake on,” I reply, feeling a bit smug because I know Sophie better than Ethan does.
She’s Maya’s other best friend. Yes, she does know exactly what James is like, but she’s also the most loyal, kind-hearted employee he has. She has a heart of gold and would do anything to protect James, and she’s the only one that really knows how to stand up to him. Plus, she’s single, so there’s no obstacle in the form of a boyfriend.
We shake on it, but instead of letting my hand go, Ethan pulls me toward himself and gives me a brotherly thump on the back.
“See you later baby bro. Wish me luck!”
“Good luck.” I laugh. He’s gonna need it.
When I get back to the office, I send Maya a quick message asking if we can talk tonight. I don’t want her to be completely blindsided so I mention that there are strings attached to Uncle Reggie’s bequests and there’s a recorded message I’d like her to watch with me, but I don’t go into specific detail. This is a conversation we need to have in person and for some reason, I’m ridiculously nervous about it.
What was Uncle Reggie thinking?
Nobody in their right mind adds crazy conditions like that. I have no idea what Maya is going to think of the video and Uncle Reggie’s bizarre request.
Unlike me, she’s always up for an adventure. She’s the sweet to my sour. The yin to my yang. I know she’ll say yes, of course, and not just because this is her idea of fun. She’d do it even if she didn’t want to because she’s got my back. Always.
Her response is swift.
Ooooh. Strings attached? Sounds interesting.
See you at home.
Her last sentence makes my heart flutter.
Technically, we don’t share a home. Our apartments are just right next to each other. But hearing her call it home , as if we both live in the same apartment, makes my heart squeeze in my chest. There’s nothing I’d like more.
“Dream on,” I admonish myself.
I may have an IQ of almost 160 but I’m an idiot. A complete and utter idiot. Because only an idiot would pine after his best friend for twelve years.
Unrequited love sucks.